“Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did homage to Daniel and gave orders to present to him an offering and fragrant incense. The king answered Daniel and said surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings ...”
King Neb almost gets it ... but then misses it completely (he will understand later). But for now he pays homage to Daniel instead of God - He acknowledges God, but continues to pursue his own idols supposing that he now has Daniels God “on call” if needed.
All of Nebuchadnezzar‘s actions are about advancing Nebuchadnezzar. He is willing to recognize God if it promotes his agenda and will gladly acknowledge any god that helps him get what he wants.....
Does that sound familiar?
On the other hand Daniel gets it completely.
He seeks to serve God - not to have God serve him. He understands the glory of God and pursues it relentlessly. He is obedient to God’s word whether it is popular or not and will not be swayed by positive or negative public opinion.
It is hard as Christians when we are insulted - but often the hardest thing to endure his complements without being distracted
Daniel is praised by the mightiest Ruler on the planet. His career skyrockets - and by all accounts he is a celebrity - MVP of the kingdom.
But it does not catch his eye...Daniel doesn’t take the bait. He remains humble - spiritually disciplined - pushes all credit and glory to God and never lets the approval of man become an idol.
So, which one looks most like you?
Each day who do you magnify? The only person who knows the answer to that question is you. But like those in this passage, your life will play out based on which path you take
You cannot serve two masters. Reject self exaltation and relentlessly chase after exalting God.
The freedom found by not worrying about the opinions of others will be life-changing. But you must be prepared to ignore both insults and flattery - and not allow anything to move your eyes off the prize
Bob Dylan said you “got to serve somebody” - so decide. Who will you promote today?
There is no riding the fence. You will pursue God’s glory - or your own - Will you seek approval from God - or approval from others?
“What other people think of you is none of your business” - Regina Brett
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